Was just listing those on this thread
There are MANY others on P’Net!
said “original poster” and…
…did not miss the CT location.
“Only the ORIGINAL POSTER, Coffee, and maybe the mysterious abc, are from anywhere reasonably “North”.”
Slow down if you’re gonna nitpic.
Didn’t mean to nitpic
Sorry, my fault for not reading carefully. Didn’t mean to nitpic either. I was thinking more about what’s relevant to what it mean by “winter” from the original post, which is in the Long Island Sound area. Not quite as cold as Michigan but a lot colder than Florida.
Kayaktim below has answer the question most to the point since he lives in the same area. I lived in that same area in the past. But I didn’t paddle in the winter. Too busy skiing. Now there’s not much skiing nearby, I paddle year round.
Comfort/Speed flip flop
A year ago or so ago I might have seen things that way, but now I can say pretty much the opposite:
Comfort? My Q700 is more comfortable than my Tarpon was. Many more options to tweak the fit with a SINK. I’d give SINKs the comfort edge once you’re set up right (SOTers are unlikely to do this unless they commit to a SINK). Better control = less strain too. I’m less beat up after 4 hours in the Q700 (not at all really other than healthy fatigue) than I was after same on the Tarpon. I get out of the 700 more flexible than when I got in, whereas with Tarpon, comfort was good, but I needed to stand and stretch a bit to release the kinks and restore full circulation before even attempting to carry it. Would be worse with a big padded seat (I used bare plastic seat pan and backrest on my T160 - for several reasons - the ones that come up over and over on back/leg pain threads).
Speed? A racing surf ski is faster than anything but maybe a K1 on flat water. Speed advantage, SOT.
Getting in/out, on/off? - that’s more about how and where you use it. That’s what should determine what you paddle.
stand up
You can stand up in a Tarpon 140 to stretch your legs. Ya can’t do that in the 700. SOT’s are more comfortable until you need to paddle 20 miles against a 15 mph wind…
You missed the biggest SOT advantage
Totally off topic but!
You missed the most obvious advantage of paddling a SOT. Getting a tan!
I’ve got both SOT’s and SINKS and paddle my SOT when its warm because I like not having glow-in-the-dark, pasty-white, scare the neighbor legs!
So comfort and safety be damned! Get that SOT and prevent sudden blindness from pasty white legs!
LK 
Why do you need to stretch?
Is the T140 that uncomfortable that you get kinked up? L
When I replaced my footbraces in the Q700 with foam, I worried I would not be able to stretch my legs out. Actually, I still can if I push into the foam, but comfort was improved so much I never even think about stretching while paddling anymore. That need to stretch it tured out, was more a bad reaction to the limits on body position imposed by the foot pegs.
BTW - Some people CAN stand up in a Q700 - or just about any boat. I’m not one of them (but sitting on my ski isn’t much more stable than standing in a Q700).
Yaker tan
I don’t know, My SOT tan pattern was a lot weirder than the farmer tan pattern from the SINK. You must be paddling nude!
SOT: Extremely tanned head (most on face) and arms, White torso (PFD/Shorts), heavily tanned fronts of legs but pale backs, and white feet (from water shoes weirdest part of the look).
SINK: Head and arms same, white elswhere, except some color from non-paddling exposure on legs. Pretty much like most who spend time outside but don’t lay out and just tan.
Long Island Water Temps?
– Last Updated: Jul-30-04 12:46 PM EST –
How cold does the water get in Long Island? Water temps here in NORCAL get down to about 50 in winter, but only get up top about 58 in summer.
I think a paddle leash is a good idea for an SOT. I always use one on the ocean, especially for surfing.
M. Sorenson’s web site provides
more detail and clarification concerning her opinions about the appropriateness of SOTs and SINKs for various activities. Instead of idle speculation, some of you might want to check out what she has to say.
http://www.kayak-adventure.net/
http://www.kayak-adventure.net/Kayak%20Design%20&%20Safety%20Features.htm
http://www.kayak-adventure.net/About%20Our%20Kayaks.htm
It varies by location but
I’d guess the lowest in the winter would be just under 40 and the highest would be 70 or better. Of course, a few of us paddle around some power plants where it gets like bath water. Good for practicing and getting that good healthy glow.
Lou
Nice Shearwater
– Last Updated: Jul-30-04 1:43 PM EST –
I see she has a nice kevlar Shearwater.
She makes some good points, but if I had to paddle in really cold water, I think I would buy a SINK and learn to roll.
But then I would never live where the water is that cold...
NORCAL is about as far north as I would ever go...
I never get uncomfartable
But it does feel good to stand up once in a while.
LI Crossing
We went from Saugertuck SHores, Westport, to the same place. Eastons Neck ) I gess Sheffield Island is a bit south of Westport.Three is a small club called Kayak Adventures to which I belong.
\Nick
KAYAK VERSUS SITUPON
Thanks folks, for all your valuable info. I ow find it more difficult to make up what people laughingly call miy mind. I have a Current Design Gulf Strea, , which I dearly love. It’s fast but hard to roll. I was thinking of getting an Eskimo Kayak of somekind, and/or a situpon. I’llcotinue to read your columns. Thanks
Nick
My Gulfstream is just the opposite
It’s not the fastest boat by a long shot, The 18.5 - 19’ boats leave me in their wakes unless the wind is blowing at 20 knots or more.
But, the Gulfstream is really an easy boat to roll. It’s all technique. Practice that and you won’t need another boat to be able to roll.
Idles Speculation? SOT/SINK/REC
– Last Updated: Jul-30-04 6:25 PM EST –
Many commenting here have paddled both. We all offer opinions.
Her recommendations are from a guide's perspective. She rightly has to be overly cautious - and her recommendations are very sound in that arena. If I was responsible for others - and had to take beginners paddling - in ANY conditions - I'd put them all on wide plastic SOTs too! Side note: I would not put a beginner on a Cobra Expedition or Heritage Shearwater except in calm and or warm water. Cobra Expedition is notoriously bad in rough stuff, and the Shearwater paddles much more like a high performance SINK than a SOT.
While the advice is certainly good, I suspect it's a case of do as I say, not as I do. On her own, or with paddlers of like skill, I'd bet she (and they)'d be paddling a SINK on that crossing and in cold water in general.
Highlights I got from those links:
"for overall safety for beginning(underlined) kayakers, we prefer a sit-on-top" - for that group, I certainly agree.
"Sit-inside kayaks are best for people who are fit, paddle regularly and are willing to invest the time (up-front) to learn strokes, maneuvers and capsize recovery techniques. They are high performance watercraft that can be finely controlled by a skilled paddler. I paddle my Wilderness Systems Tempest 165 every chance I get!"
That is also accurate, and does not desribe most paddlers. See 80/20 on "Macho" thead *L*.
And maybe the most important safety words on the page: "We do not use or recommend any recreational kayaks. Since they do not have bulkheads both fore and aft, they will not support you when they capsize and fill with water. We feel they are unrescuable and inherently unsafe. "
The part on dressing for conditions on an SOT - same as everyone said and already agrees.
Looks like a great guide and great place!
Hard to roll?
I rolled a rental Sirocco (the RM version of the Gulfstream) on the first try and I’m not that good at it… felt like an easy boat to roll…
Paddle float or greenland paddle
rigged to the back deck and you can!
Cold
Here in Idaho we have some nice chilly winters. We dress for Immersion, period. end of story. BC (before canoes) as in last winter I was still paddling butt boats"g", I took the SINK for winter paddling and left the SOT home. The mind numbing cold we have here does not encorage me to try sitting in a SOT, tho with Dry suits I may try it once close to home this up coming winter. kim